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Thursday Movie Picks: On The Run

Thursday Movie Picks is hosted by Wandering Through the Shelves. This week’s theme involves movies where the characters are running away from something. Here are my picks this week.

Train to Busan – Everyone here is literally on the run. This is a South Korean zombie flick, where people are stuck on a train when they hear about the zombie virus running rampant in Seoul. There was news that Busan has managed to fortify themselves from the attack, making it a haven for unaffected refugees. Beyond protecting themselves from zombies and trying to get to Busan, there’s some emotional core among the main characters.

Guardians of the Galaxy – Despite the world saving they did, these characters are on a run although the movie isn’t about them running away. This was a great addition to the Marvel universe, and I’m hoping the sequel could recapture the magic and not solely rely on Groot for it.

The Fugitive – I remember liking the movie when I first watched it. It’s Harrison Ford, what’s not to like? He was falsely accused of murdering his wife, so he’s evading the cops while trying to figure out who killed his wife. This one is in need of a rewatch soon.

Nice picks. The Fugitive seems to be the major pick of the week and it's a great one. A fun propulsive thriller which shape shifts the original in good ways while staying true to the spirit of the concept plus a couple of terrific protagonists in Ford and TLJ.

Guardians is a slightly different way of looking at the theme but a good one. I liked it because it moved away from the current trend of dour adventure flicks which I hate, I go to this sort of fun to relax and have a good time not be depressed! I'm always leery of sequels so let's hope that they can this one fresh.

Haven't seen Train to Busan and it doesn't sound like my kind of thing but a solid choice for the week.

I'm a fan of this genre and while there are many to choose from I reached back to older films because I suspected all the more current popular ones would be well represented which they have been, plus I love all four of mine.

The Clouded Yellow (1950)-Fired and seeking tranquility after a case goes wrong British Secret Service agent David Somers (Trevor Howard) retreats to the Fenton country estate and a quiet job cataloging butterflies. Upon his arrival he meets and becomes enamored with the Fenton's niece, the fragile Sophie (Jean Simmons). His peace is short-lived though when Sophie is framed for the murder of menacing handyman Hick. Escaping to London he uses his skills and a network of old friends to evade capture as both the police and the real murderer chase them across Britain as they attempt to flee to safety. Tidy thriller that benefits from location filming throughout England and a superior cast.

Dust Be My Destiny (1939)-Down on his luck but honest Joe Bell (John Garfield) gets into a fight with a crook and is sentenced to a work farm for 90 days. There he falls for Mabel Alden (Priscilla Lane), much to the displeasure of her stepfather Charles Garreth (Stanley Ridges) the farm's foreman. Goaded into a fight Joe knocks Garreth out and the panicked pair flee. To avoid suspicion and hard up for cash the couple endure an audience wedding then learn Garreth has died and Joe is wanted for his murder. Moving from town to town to elude capture they try to build a new life when Joe get a job as a photographer on a newspaper after capturing pictures of fleeing bank robbers but destiny is still on their trail. Solid Warner Bros. social issue drama with two excellent lead performances.

You Only Live Once (1937)-Ex-con Eddie Taylor (Henry Fonda), recently released due to the influence of his fiancée Joan (Sylvia Sidney) the public defender’s secretary, attempts to stay to the straight and narrow after they marry. Things go wrong however when he’s accused and convicted for a bank robbery he didn’t commit in which six people were killed. Sentenced to fry in the electric chair he escapes on the eve of execution with the aid of a smuggled gun, accidentally killing the prison chaplain while fleeing. Taking Joan with him they go on the lam but only tragedy lays ahead. Bleak Fritz Lang directed film, an amalgam of the Bonnie & Clyde legend and Lang’s reaction to his first wife’s embrace of Nazism, is considered the precursor to film noir.

Lighthearted Extra-Midnight Run (1988)-Fun adventure comedy/buddy film of bounty hunter Robert DeNiro taking fugitive mob accountant Charles Grodin cross country to collect his reward and dogged every step of the way by the FBI, Mafia and other bounty hunters all of whom want Grodin for reasons of their own. DeNiro & Grodin have a spiky exasperated chemistry with each other that adds greatly to the comedy of the situation.